Wainwright Could Be Headed Back To DL, Cardinals Split Series With San Diego

"I need to pause and get it right," Wainwright says of his elbow troubles.

SAN DIEGO (AP/KMOX) - Adam Wainwright was on the mound throwing before the bottom of the first inning, when on his third-to-last warm-up pitch he re-aggravated his elbow injury, before the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 Sunday. The Cardinals split the four-games series againt the San Diego Padres, as Wainwright walked six in just 2 1/3 innings, throwing 79 pitches, Sunday.

The 36-year-old right-hander was activated from the 10-day disabled list that morning, after a bout with right elbow inflammation. He allowed two runs on three hits and struck out three.

Wainwright (1-3) threw 33 pitches in the first inning, loading the bases with two outs on a single and two walks, but didn't yield any runs.

He wasn't as lucky in the third. He walked the bases loaded with one out and then allowed a single by Cory Spangenberg and was pulled in favor of John Gant. Freddy Galvis followed with a sacrifice fly.

The Padres added on in the fourth with three hits against John Gant, with Jose Pirela hitting an RBI double and Franchy Cordero following with an RBI single.

Wainwright said he re-aggravated his elbow problem on the third-to-last warm-up pitch.

"It's tough. If I'm able to go out there and make pitches and put my arm in the position where it allows me to execute, then I will take my chances against anyone," he said. "But I wasn't able to execute, so I was falling behind and I didn't want to give in, so I was walking some guys.

"Luckily we got through the first two innings, got out of a couple of jams. But if you keep putting yourself you in binds, it's going to be tough."

He couldn't locate his fastball or throw his good cutter.

"I need to pause and get it right," Wainwright said. "This team deserves more than that and the fans deserve more than that and the organization does, too. If I'm going to be a force down the stretch, I need to get healthy first. Luckily we have a lot of young guys primed for this position."

Said manager Mike Matheny: "That's not the pitcher he wants to be. It's the pitcher he had to be today but that's not the pitcher he wants to be."

Wainwright is expected to return to St. Louis to have his elbow reexamined, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, as the Cardinals head to Minnesota for a two-game series against the Twins beginning Tuesday.